A binding order for 100 of these charging points was placed immediately by the customer INTELLI, as the coordinator of the Portuguese programme. INTELLI is planning the setup of the charging infrastructure network in Portugal and intends to install the charging points in 25 cities by 2012, at public parking lots and near shopping centres, hotels and airports, the company said.

Ralph Griewing, head of the Siemens business segment Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, commented: ‘I am more than pleased that we received a major order for 100 Charge CP700A charging points so soon after taking up series production of the units. Rapid charging technology is a hot topic’

The Charge CP700A charging point, which was introduced onto the market in the spring, can be used to charge electric cars of different power ratings.

In the fastest operating mode, the vehicle is supplied with a three-phase AC voltage at a current of 32amps, and is therefore charged at a power level of 22kw. The normal charging time has now been reduced to one hour with this new charging point series. The goal Siemens has set for itself over the medium term is to develop rapid charging systems with a charging time of less than 15 minutes.

The Charge CP700A charging point uses AC voltage and can be easily integrated into any standard European city grid. The column can also be incorporated into a smart grid and supports functions such as remote control of the charging power to forestall grid bottlenecks and to enable charging explicitly using power from renewable energy sources, the company added.